Vehicle positioning by signaling line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle information

• US 10,091,791 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jiang, Libin, Patil, Shailesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US15/640,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20180160419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 4554521, 340903, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Wireless communication systems and methods related to signaling line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle information for improving vehicle positioning accuracy are provided. A first vehicle receives, via a sensor, sensor data indicating a line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle. The first vehicle receives, via a wireless communication device, one or more ranging signals. The first vehicle determines that a first ranging signal of the one or more ranging signals is transmitted by the LOS vehicle. The first vehicle determines a position of the LOS vehicle based on at least the sensor data and the first ranging signal. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, by a sensor of a first vehicle, sensor data indicating a line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle;

receiving, by a wireless communication device of the first vehicle, one or more ranging signals from one or more other vehicles;

identifying, by the first vehicle, a first ranging signal transmitted by the LOS vehicle from among the one or more ranging signals based on the sensor data and an identifier (ID) of the LOS vehicle;

determining, by the first vehicle, a propagation time associated with the identified first ranging signal; and

determining, by the first vehicle, a position of the LOS vehicle based on at least the sensor data, the propagation time associated with the first ranging signal, and the ID of the LOS vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the position of the LOS vehicle by:

determining a relative position of the LOS vehicle with respect to the first vehicle based on the sensor data; and

determining the position of the LOS vehicle based on global positioning system (GPS) coordinate data of the first vehicle and the relative position.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining the position of the LOS vehicle by determining a relative distance between the first vehicle and the LOS vehicle based on the first ranging signal; and

updating the position of the LOS vehicle based on the relative distance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first vehicle from a second vehicle, a message indicating a position of the second vehicle and an ID of the second vehicle;

determining, by the first vehicle, that the second vehicle corresponds to the LOS vehicle based on the position of the LOS vehicle and the position of the second vehicle; and

associating the ID of the second vehicle with the LOS vehicle, the ID of the LOS vehicle corresponding to the ID of the second vehicle based on the association.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

obtaining, from the first ranging signal, an ID of a transmitting vehicle that transmitted the first ranging signal; and

determining that the first ranging signal of the one or more ranging signals is transmitted by the LOS vehicle by determining that the ID of the LOS vehicle matches the ID of the transmitting vehicle.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising broadcasting, by the first vehicle, LOS vehicle information indicating that the LOS vehicle is along a LOS communication path of the first vehicle, wherein the LOS vehicle information includes at least one of the ID of the LOS vehicle, the position of the LOS vehicle, an ID of the first vehicle, or a position of the first vehicle.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting, by the first vehicle to a base station, LOS vehicle information indicating that the LOS vehicle is along a LOS communication path of the first vehicle, wherein the LOS vehicle information includes at least one of the ID of the LOS vehicle, the position of the LOS vehicle, an ID of the first vehicle, or a position of the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the first vehicle from the base station, resource allocation information based on the LOS vehicle information; and

transmitting, by the first vehicle based on the resource allocation information, a message indicating positioning information of the first vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the first vehicle to a second vehicle, a second ranging signal indicating an identifier (ID) of the first vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first vehicle from the LOS vehicle, a first message indicating a speed of the LOS vehicle;

determining, by the first vehicle, a Doppler shift between the first vehicle and the LOS vehicle based on the speed of the LOS vehicle and a speed of the first vehicle;

receiving, by the first vehicle from the LOS vehicle, a second message; and

decoding, by the first vehicle, the second message based on the Doppler shift.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first vehicle, LOS vehicle information indicating a second vehicle is along a LOS communication path of the first vehicle and a position of the second vehicle;

receiving, by the first vehicle from the second vehicle, a second ranging signal; and

updating, by the first vehicle, the position of the second vehicle based on the second ranging signal.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one of a front-facing camera or a rear-facing camera.

13. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, by a base station from a first vehicle, line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle information including an LOS association between the first vehicle and a second vehicle based on a LOS communication path between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

allocating, by the base station, resources to the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on the LOS association between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the LOS vehicle information; and

transmitting, by the base station, resource allocation information based on the allocating.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the LOS vehicle information includes at least one of an identifier (ID) of the first vehicle, an ID of the second vehicle, a position of the first vehicle, and a position of the second vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising allocating the resources by:

allocating a first resource of the resources to the first vehicle; and

allocating a second resource of the resources to the second vehicle, wherein the first resource and the second resource are different.

16. An apparatus associated with a first vehicle, comprising:

a sensor configured to receive sensor data indicating a line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle;

a wireless communication device configured to receive one or more ranging signals from one or more other vehicles; and

a processor configured to;

identify a first ranging signal transmitted by the LOS vehicle from among the one or more ranging signals based on the sensor data and an identifier (ID) of the LOS vehicle;

determine a propagation time associated with the identified first ranging signal; and

determine a position of the LOS vehicle based on at least the sensor data, the propagation time associated with the first ranging signal, and the ID of the LOS vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the position of the LOS vehicle by:

determining a relative position of the LOS vehicle with respect to the first vehicle based on the sensor data; and

determining the position of the LOS vehicle based on global positioning system (GPS) coordinate data of the first vehicle and the relative position.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the position of the LOS vehicle by determining a relative distance between the first vehicle and the LOS vehicle based on the first ranging signal; and

update the position of the LOS vehicle based on the relative distance.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to receive, from a second vehicle, a message indicating a position of the second vehicle and an ID of the second vehicle, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the second vehicle corresponds to the LOS vehicle based on the position of the LOS vehicle and the position of the second vehicle; and

associating the ID of the second vehicle with the LOS vehicle, the ID of the LOS vehicle corresponding to the ID of the second vehicle based on the association.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first ranging signal indicates an ID of a transmitting vehicle that transmitted the first ranging signal, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the first ranging signal of the one or more ranging signals is transmitted by the LOS vehicle further by determining that the ID of the LOS vehicle matches the ID of the transmitting vehicle.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to broadcast LOS vehicle information indicating that the LOS vehicle is along a LOS communication path of the first vehicle, and wherein the LOS vehicle information includes at least one of the ID of the LOS vehicle, the position of the LOS vehicle, an ID of the first vehicle, or a position of the first vehicle.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to transmit, to a base station, LOS vehicle information indicating that the LOS vehicle is along a LOS communication path of the first vehicle, and wherein the LOS vehicle information includes at least one of the ID of the LOS vehicle, the position of the LOS vehicle, an ID of the first vehicle, or a position of the first vehicle.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to:

receive, from the base station, resource allocation information based on the LOS vehicle information; and

transmit, based on the resource allocation information, a message indicating positioning information of the first vehicle.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to transmit, to a second vehicle, a second ranging signal indicating an identifier (ID) of the first vehicle.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to:

receive, from the LOS vehicle, a first message indicating a speed of the LOS vehicle;

determine a Doppler shift between the first vehicle and the LOS vehicle based on the speed of the LOS vehicle and a speed of the first vehicle;

receive, from the LOS vehicle, a second message; and

decode the second message based on the Doppler shift.

26. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to:

receive LOS vehicle information indicating a second vehicle is along a LOS communication path of the first vehicle and a position of the second vehicle; and

receive, from the second vehicle, a second ranging signal, and

wherein the processor is further configured to update the position of the second vehicle based on the second ranging signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensor is at least one of a front-facing camera or a rear-facing camera.

28. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a first vehicle, line-of-sight (LOS) vehicle information including an LOS association between the first vehicle and a second vehicle based on a LOS communication path between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

a processor configured to allocate resources to the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on the LOS association between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the LOS vehicle information; and

a transmitter configured to transmit resource allocation information based on the allocated resources.

29. The wireless communication device of claim 28, wherein the LOS vehicle information includes at least one of an identifier (ID) of the first vehicle, an ID of the second vehicle, a position of the first vehicle, and a position of the second vehicle.

30. The wireless communication device of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate the resources to the first vehicle and the second vehicle by:

allocating a first resource of the resources to the first vehicle; and

allocating a second resource of the resources to the second vehicle, wherein the first resource and the second resource are different.